anavarro

“Any spare change, lady?"
The sound of the cheap bell hitting the tin can jolted her back to reality.  The poorly decorated sign read "God blesses those who give to the less fortunate."  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill and thirty-seven cents in change.  The sound of coins hitting the bottom of the can was followed by a bitter thank you from the bum in charge of operations.  She stood watching him, unaware of time or that it had started to rain.  She lighted a cigarette, placed a cold hand into the pocket of her coat, and continued on her way.  
She adjusted the hat that covered her dark brown hair and looked over her collar at a building covered in Christmas lights.  "Watch it, will ya?" (church bells?)  She looked at her watch; it was twelve twenty.  It would be miles before she reached the train station.  She felt the dollar bill in her pocket and flagged down one of the many cabs flooding the streets of New York.
"Where to, lady?" the cab driver asked indifferently.
“The University, please." Kate Valdez answered back with the same indifference.

Kate Valdez stood looking at the Broad Street University for a moment; the building was a historical site now.  The stones were worn and the style was outdated, but the prestige that came out of those double gated doors couldn't be denied.  Great men had risen from this building and she was on her way up to erase the last traces of one of them.  The door on the 2nd floor read: "Antonio Valdez, Vice President." It took her a moment to grab the door handle, then she went inside.  The room didn't seem very different than she last remembered: his certificates from the Physics Board of World Studies (??) were framed on the wall and their picture was still on his desk; the corner coat hanger was still occupied by his favorite suit jacket.  Kate Valdez walked around to the side of the desk and looked out the window.  The rain started to pick up and it took her a while to focus on the task at hand.  She pulled his chair around and sat down, noticing one last cardboard box waiting on the floor.  Kate Valdez started to clean out her grandfather's desk, filling the box with old papers and some supplies.  She grabbed the framed picture and cleared the dust from their faces.  Kate Valdez hadn't cried at his funeral and she couldn't bring herself to do it now.  She held the picture in her steady hands.  Before the glass spread across the carpet there was a knock at the door. 
"Miss, is everything ok?" Mr. Valdez's secretary, Susan Waters, asked through a cracked door.
"I'm almost done.  Just a few more supplies and I'll be on my way."
"Take your time, Miss Valdez.  You know you are always welcome here." Susan Waters turned and shut the door quietly. 
Kate Valdez walked toward the door and glanced near the coat hanger.  She placed the box on the floor and extended her hand toward the jacket.  She let the rough fabric graze the side of her cheek.  It still smelt of tobacco and peppermint.  She remembered what he had looked like in that jacket only two weeks earlier.   She appeared out of the vacant office a short time later.
"Susan, can I leave his stuff here while I go to class?" Kate Valdez asked, walking toward the door.  "Certainly, dear.  You know you didn't have to come in so soon after... you know, it all happened.  I could have done it for you."  Kate Valdez was already on her way out of The Dean's Headquarters when Susan looked up from her desk.
                                                                     *
"... remember, class, history has little to do with the present moment.  History is in the past, and we are merely studying it.  Mr. Bryan, this comment is directed to you.  I don't want to hear your thoughts on governmental intervention.  We aren't in debate class and it would suit you to keep your opinions out of this classroom.  Oh, Miss Valdez, it is so nice to see you joining us today.  Not on time, I see.  Please find a seat.  We were just discussing the Great Depression." 
                                                                    *

Kate Valdez walked up the steps to her apartment door on Oak Street.  She threw her keys on the side table and set the wet cardboard box on the floor next to the sofa.  [Kate Valdez walked toward her kitchen window and opened it, allowing the rain to beat down on her chest.  She laughed a bit, mostly at her behavior these last few days and partly because she enjoyed the cold sensation the rain brought. (Awk).]  She held her hands on the window for a moment, laughed again, then locked it.  Kate Valdez started toward her bedroom when she heard a knock at the door.
"Who is it?"
"Who do you think it is, open the door it's raining hard out here."
"Oh, Rush, I forgot you were coming."  Kate Valdez opened the door and saw Rush Mychals standing there, drenched, wearing his basketball uniform.
" Yeah, like how you forgot to come to my game?"  Rush Mychals brushed by Kate.  He looked her up and down and added, "Don't tell me you just got home.  Where have you been?"
" I got lost."  Kate Valdez said as she started toward her bedroom.
"That's all you ever do now is joke.  Take something seriously, will you?  Where were you?" Rush Mychals followed her to her room.  Kate had started to get out of her wet clothes when Rush asked her again, this time with a little more authority.  After a while she looked up at Rush and said indifferently, "I went for a walk." She rubbed her hair with a towel and started back toward the hallway.
"It's late Rush, I'll see you tomorrow."
"You can't be serious, I haven't seen you all week." Rush Mychals pushed his wet, blond hair out of his eyes as if that would help him understand the fragile girl standing in front of him.  Kate Valdez opened the door and waited until Rush Mychals stepped back into the rain.  He jolted back around to face Kate and, pointing a finger at her, added, "....." She locked the door behind him.  She was finally alone.

Kate Valdez used to spend every summer at her grandparents house in New York.  Her parents would travel back home to (?).  Kate loved spending time with her grandparents; they lived by the Hudson River and Kate would sneek out [ I don't see this scene completely yet.]